Provo Canyon – Bad Roads for RVs

Provo Canyon – Bad Roads for RVs is on U.S. Highway 189, four miles west of Heber City, Utah. It is steep and should be avoided in the winter.

Of course, you could say that RVs should avoid traveling in the winter in the Rocky Mountains and I would agree. It goes double for steep roads in the winter.

The beginning of descent starts at the intersection of State Route 314 follows the Provo River and ends in Orem.

In the summer, U.S. Highway 189 is merely a steep road but I think you should know what you are getting into before you go there. Really the road is very a nice four-lane divided highway and overall the grade alone isn’t a good enough reason to not travel on U.S. Highway 189 in Provo Canyon.

In the winter expect snow and ice. The road is maintained well but melting snow will run across the road and turn to ice nightly making for very hazardous driving.

Expect large vehicles to be traveling at very slow speeds relative to traffic or speed limits.

As for the Utah Department of Transportation, they have adopted Twitter to get the most up-to-date road information to the public. They also have their own Apple and Android apps. Tweets and App information is on this website. UDOT

Details

Elevation: 5580 feet at the top – 4920 feet at the bottom.

Length: 10 miles

Terrain: up to 7% grades, typically less, all downhill

Lanes: Four-lane highway

Turns: In the steep sections the turns are gentle.

Turnouts: Mulitple

Turnaround locations: Mulitple

Chain-up areas: One chain-up area in Orem for eastbound traffic just past the intersection of 800 North. More chain-up areas for both east and westbound traffic at Canyon View, Mt. Timpanogos, and Canyon Glen Parks.

Restrictions: U.S. Highway 189, in Provo Canyon, will occasionally close in the winter for deep snow and for avalanche control work. There are several slide areas near Bridal Veil Falls that have the potential to cross the road. More likely than being closed, snowplows will continuously operate clearing the snow both night and day, when required.

Runaway truck ramps: None

Provo Canyon – Bad Roads for RVs, Our Experience

We traveled down Provo Canyon in our RV on October 6th, 2020.

I would not hesitate to travel down U.S. Highway 189, in Provo Canyon, in our RV — in the summer. For us, it would be a normal travel day.

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Links

Utah Department of Transportation

Here is the link to our interactive map. Bad Roads for RVs